Oven Roasted Romanesco

I  love when I see a new, interesting vegetable in the grocery store. I also consider it perfectly normal to drive to a town 40 minutes away so I can go to Wegmans (a fancy foodie grocery store in Upstate New York). So this Saturday, right when I entered the paradise that is Wegmans I saw a veggie I’ve been dying to try but have never seen in the grocery store I regularly go to: Romanesco. Heard of it?

It’s kind of a weird cross between broccoli and cauliflower. It just looks cool, so that means I had to get it. And I thought I’d share with you directions for roasting romanesco if it scares you! The cashier was stumped. This regularly happens to me with vegetables I buy. Things like spaghetti squash, plantains, kale…no matter what it is I feel like once a week I get a weird look and a “Um what is this?” from the grocery cashier. Does that happen to you? Moving on…

I decided to treat it just like I would cauliflower or broccoli- roast it! I love roasting veggies…. it brings such rich flavor and I can add whatever spices or fat I want.

For the romanesco,  I just cut it up like I would a regular cauliflower or broccoli and placed in a large roasting pan.

I poured over the top of it about 1/4 cup of coconut oil. You could use olive oil, butter, lard, etc.

I sprinkled with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then I roasted them in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until they got that nice golden brown roasted color on the top.

Yum! The taste was more like cauliflower with an almost lemony tang to it. You should definitely try roasting romanesco if you see it at your grocery store!

What weird vegetables do you love to eat?

What things stump your cashier?

Have you ever been to Wegmans?

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